Xbox One games news: NINE huge NEW titles come to Microsoft consoles this month (Pic: XBOX)
Microsoft has introduced the world to the Xbox One's Winter of Arcade.
The initiative – which celebrates indie games and very much gives them their time in the spotlight – first started as the Summer of Arcade (Winter of Arcade in the southern hemisphere) back on the Xbox 360 in 2008.
High profile indie games on the Xbox platform debuted via the annual feature: Castle Crashers, Trials HD, Limbo, Bastion, Braid, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 and more all released as part of the Summer of Arcade.
Given that those games are all considered classics now, this 2018 rebirth of this promotion is good news for fans of high-quality games.
Microsoft is also encouraging players to pick up the amazing new set of games thanks to a £4.39/$5 gift card that'll be credited to your account for each game you purchase through the Xbox or Microsoft Store Online,
You can earn a total of £35.12/ $30 if all nine available games are purchased – a nice incentive to support indie games.
Trending
The Winter of Arcade will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Canada initially, and each game making up the lineup will be released between December 4 and December 21.
The titles will be able for purchase on Microsoft Store Online and Xbox One through ID@Xbox, and four of the titles will be available via Xbox Games Pass.
This is everything you'll be able to nab:
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom – December 4
- Mutant Year Zero (Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One X Enhanced) – December 4
- Subnautica (Xbox One X Enhanced) – December 4
- Ashen (Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One X Enhanced) – December 7
- Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek – December 7
- Kingdom Two Crowns (Xbox Game Pass) – December 11
- Desert Child – December 12
- Below (Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One X Enhanced) – December 14
- Donut County – December 18
Amongst that list, the most attractive games for us are Below and Ashen.
"Below has been in development for 10 years, and you can feel it as soon as you pick up the pad," we wrote in our Below preview back in April.
"Everything about the title seethes with intent: every single thing you pass your eye over on-screen has been poured over by a series of artists, designers, programmers, directors and engineers to ensure you, the player, feel the weight of this oppressive, intense world.
"The game hasn't been pushed back exclusively because of budget concerns or design issues, no: Nathan Vella of Capybara Games told us it was because the staff working on the project simply didn't believe it was good enough.
"And after getting our hands on the game, we're grateful for every second it was pushed back, because the result is sublime.
"If you want an idea of what to expect of Below, it was heavily inspired by Demons Souls and From Software's series of hardcore action games."
Ashen – which is out RIGHT NOW – is also a great, Souls-lite inspired game that prioritises exploration over anything else, and we highly recommend that, too.
Related articles
[contf] [contfnew]
